Russell Simmons To Hold Police Reform Town Hall Meeting

Russell Simmons invites the public to join him at All Def Digital’s first Town Hall meeting addressing police reform at The Montalban in Los Angeles on June 23 at 7 p.m. PST.

The deaths of unarmed Black men, women and children who were killed by White officers that were never indicted for their actions, has spurred conversation of whether or not America’s police force is due for a change.

“We created this event to honor the lives of Rekia Boyd, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Ayana Stanley-Jones, Mike Brown and anyone else that has been killed or victimized by excessive police force,” reads a Facebook post signed by Simmons.

Those wanting to attend the event must RSVP to gain entry. The Town Hall meeting’s goal is to, “help end any more senseless deaths by reforming and reframing police officers practices, policies, and procedures.”

Police reform was chosen as a topic to “evoke passion.”

In 2014, Jay Z and Simmons met with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to address the same subject, requesting a special prosecutor be assigned to cases dealing with police brutality.

The move was in the wake of the deaths of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner, who was choked to death by a cop in New York for allegedly selling cigarettes.

In November 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was killed by police in Cleveland, Ohio. The responding officer mistook for his Airsoft gun for a real gun because it lacked an orange safety feature. June 25 will mark Rice’s 14th birthday.

The deaths of Sandra Bland and Freddie Gray soon followed in 2015.

RSVP for All Def Digital’s first Town Hall meeting here to understand your rights and to learn more about police reform.